1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic type endoscope having a dismounting mechanism for an image pickup unit including an image pickup element in which the image pickup unit is dismounted to execute disinfection/sterilization processing or treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art and Prior Art Statement
In recent years, endoscopes have been widely utilized in a field of medical processing art. Particularly, a medical processing instrument inserted into an organism, such as an endoscope or the like, is used which is sufficiently disinfected or sterilized such that an infection condition or the like does not occur. Further, after such a medical processing instrument has been used, a body fluid within an organism, solid matter and the like are adhered to the medical processing instrument. Accordingly, after the medical processing instrument has been cleaned to remove the adhered fluid and matter, the medical processing instrument is dipped in disinfection liquid and is disinfected.
In a case where a harmful material is used for sterilization processing, or for disinfection or sterilization by sterilization gas such as EOG or the like, the harmful material must be treated or processed after the sterilization processing. Accordingly, in recent years, it has been desirable to execute sterilization processing by using a reduced amount or quantity of such poisonous material or by the use of harmless steam without the use of a poisonous material.
An electronic type endoscope using a solid-state image pickup element as image pickup means, that is, an electronic endoscope and an outside mounted camera mounted on an optical endoscope, cannot withstand thermal sterilization processing apparatus using steam normally exceeding 100.degree. C., that is, autoclave processing, because of the characteristic of the solid-state image pickup element. On the other hand, a rigid endoscope belonging to an optical endoscope and having a hard inserting section has a resistance to the autoclave processing.
In this manner, there are endoscopes different from each other in resistance to disinfection and sterilization processing. A disinfection/sterilization unit for executing disinfection and sterilization processing at a hospital or the like is also used with conditions of disinfection and sterilization processing set, depending upon the used endoscopes. Furthermore, there may also be a case where a disinfection/sterilization unit is so used as to be capable of executing disinfection or sterilization processing with respect to existing endoscopes, or the existing endoscopes are in a disinfection/sterilization unit or disinfection/sterilization conditions in which more resistance is required.
An electronic endoscope provided with an image pickup element, or an outside mounted camera, has a low resistance to high temperatures when not protected by a heat-resisting or heat proof structure or the like. The electronic endoscope or the camera also have low resistance to humidity as well as to temperature. Accordingly, in a case where the electronic endoscope or the camera is disinfected or sterilized, it is required that the disinfection or sterilization processing is executed under a condition that the characteristic of the image pickup element is not deteriorated, or is not thermally destroyed. In this case, deterioration in the characteristic of the image pickup element due to disinfection or sterilization is high in probability whenever the deterioration is caused by repeated disinfection or sterilization processing, and there may be a case where recognizable deterioration does not occur for only one disinfection or sterilization processing cycle. For this reason, there may occur the following case. That is, disinfection or sterilization processing is repeatedly executed while the conditions of the disinfection or sterilization processing produce an environment suitable for another type endoscope having a higher resistance, without taking into account the fact that the conditions of disinfection or sterilization processing are set to an environment suited for the lower resistance of an electronic endoscope or an outside mounted camera. Thus, deterioration of the characteristic would occur.
Specifically, in a case where an electronic endoscope or an outside mounted camera is disinfected or sterilized, disinfection or sterilization processing must be executed carefully more than with other more resistant types of endoscopes. However, the electronic endoscope or the outside mounted camera is typically disinfected or sterilized without sufficient attention being paid to a resistance thereof. Thus, there may be a case where the characteristic of an expensive electronic endoscope or outside mounted camera deteriorates or fails completely.